William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Ed. by Virginia Mason Vaughan, Clark University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1598

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

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The earliest text of

Much Ado About Nothing

was published in 1600, but its title page attests that the play had “beene sundrie times publically acted by the Lord Chamberlain’s Servants”. The text also uses the name of comic actor William Kemp (who performed with the Lord Chamberlain’s Company during 1598-99 but not later) as speech headings for Dogberry, suggesting that the play was written some time during 1598-99. Many scholars have conjectured that

Much Ado

could be the play listed by Francis Meres in 1598 as

Love’s Labour’s Won

; several recent productions have even presented the play under that title (see Potter). The comedy was also performed at court in 1613 during the celebration of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to the Elector Palatine.

Much Ado is structured around

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3473 words

Citation: Vaughan, Virginia Mason. "Much Ado About Nothing". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 February 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3403, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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